A WHOLE LOT OF SHAKING GOING ON

Our daughter thought we were playing a trick on her, shaking her bed, until she realized that other bedroom items were swaying as well.

Down the hall, our bed was shaking too, but we thought it was our golden retriever getting stuck under it again, trying to shake his way loose—until both dogs were on the bed and the telling shaking continued a while longer.

We walked down to the corner grocery and saw food cans strewn through the aisles. 

Later that day I was giving a talk at a resort when suddenly I noticed the carpet-adorned floor roll before me, like when you press on a waterbed and see its contents shift.

Yes, it was an earthquake—mild as they go, about 3.5 at the New York/Vermont border.  We felt it in northern New Hampshire.  I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like closer to an epicenter.

In addition to shattered nerves and a nasty headache throughout the day, I was amazed to find my balance askew, as though I was trying to walk upon the deck of a moving ship.  Californians may be more used to it, but the Midwestern-born are trembler-challenged.

What does all this have to do with peace?  Everything.

Without trusting God to deliver you, you are subject to every shaking that goes on.  When the symbolic earth beneath your feet begins to move, you will be shaken to the core—unless you are on the Rock.  Your very sustenance may be under attack, but relationship with the Lord yields provision in diverse ways and diverse channels as needed.  When your “earth” shakes, your head may ache, your nerves may frazzle, and your walk may indeed be out of balance.  The angst that you find yourself in, though, will reverse when you reverse course, and walk with (instead of run from) Him.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 60

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again.
 ²Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.
 ³Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.
 ⁴Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.
 ⁵That thy beloved may be delivered; save with thy right hand, and hear me.
 ⁶God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.
 ⁷Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;
 ⁸Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe: Philistia, triumph thou because of me.
 ⁹Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
 ¹⁰Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies?
 ¹¹Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.
 ¹²Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

TRAFFIC CONTROL

The last blog entry discussed general conflicts congregations become involved in.  This entry focuses on one I was a witness to.

As a church elder for over seven years, I had seen my share of conflicts, but this one seemed to have been a particular threat to the welfare of the Church—by that I mean church local and Church universal.

We’re told in the New Testament how sometimes, in order to produce better fruit, the “dead wood” needs to be pruned out of an existing tree— so it goes with many a congregation, and as I reflect on the circumstances, I see they mirrored the three basic tenets of Psalm 59:  1)  My enemies stink, 2)  Beat them up, God, 3)  I’ll praise You for having done it.

The incident that I recall had three adult friends (an older married couple and an older widow) attempting to undermine the authority of the pastor and his elders.  There is a difference between having a conflicting opinion on how things are done and attempting to implement your own agenda as a renegade parishioner. 

The pastor sat midst his elders, discussing the perceived threat, and we took turns offering our constructive input.  I’d been in prayer to that point, and when my turn came, I shared the vision the Lord had given.  It was a traffic signal—the kind you see hanging from a wire in the middle of intersections all across the country. 

“The Lord is showing me a traffic signal, “I explained, “We are, if you will, at a “cross” road, and there are three (the couple and their friend) that are like this traffic light.  They need to 1) Stop what they’re doing, 2) Yield to the Holy Spirit, or 3) Go.”  We decided to pray that way, rather than confront them in a non-spiritual manner. 

In Psalm 59, David maintains that his enemies need not be his enemies—likewise, our pastor’s “enemies” were undeserved (though not unexpected—as a pastor, one will always have a target on one’s back—being continuously shot at by Satan and his flaming arrows).  The psalmist continues, suggesting God scatter the motley crew, for if He simply kills them, people will eventually forget, but if he scatters them, they will not only be ineffective, but God will be glorified in their being moved.  In this modern day example, the man and wife moved from Illinois to Ohio, and the widow moved to New Hampshire—ironically where we moved several years later.

Did we glorify God in their exodus?  Yes.  Not because they left, but that God caused them to leave in such a diverse manner.  It is possible to love someone while not loving what or how they do what they do.

Conflicts come, and conflicts go.  To have peace in the middle of them, recognize your problem, allow God to take care of it for you, and then thank Him for that deliverance.

b(Les)sings

TAGS:  

Psalm 59

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.
 ²Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.
 ³For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.
 ⁴They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold.
 ⁵Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.
 ⁶They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.
 ⁷Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear?
 ⁸But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.
 ⁹Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.
 ¹⁰The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.
 ¹¹Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield.
 ¹²For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.
 ¹³Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.
 ¹⁴And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.
 ¹⁵Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied.
 ¹⁶But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.
 ¹⁷Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.

FLACK FROM THE FLOCK

Congregations do weird things sometimes, just ask any pastor.   To that end, you’ve probably heard the statement made by many a shepherd at one point or another:  “Ministering would be so nice if it just wasn’t for the people.”

Over the years of attending houses of worship in more than one faith, I never recall being in one that actually “split over the color of the carpet”, but I have heard about such, and probably you have too.  Unfortunately, the psychology of mob mentality does exist, and when it rears its ugly head in a group of parishioners it can be disastrous to the Kingdom of God. 

The problem is that the good they think they’re trying to do by accomplishing the collective agenda will come back and bite them.  When they rebel against those that are in authority over them, they lose the protection that’s been afforded them in the first place. 

Sometimes, in His infinite wisdom, God will allow us to do foolish things, to be the schoolmaster that prevents further stupidity in the future—but sadly, that does not negate the painful lessons learned in the process.  When you do it God’s way, you have peace—when you think you know better than leadership, strife will be your reality.

In the 58^th Psalm, David asks God to thwart any success his enemies might otherwise enjoy.  He asks for their sustenance to be interrupted, their weapons to become useless, and for death to come upon them before the appointed time.  The psalmist intimates that the greatest treat lies with the once-oppressed that see God exact His vengeance on the former enemies of His children.

Vindication, with its own structure, can bring the greatest peace of all, because it tells the vindicated that the effort—in spite of the bruising—was worth it. 

b(Les)sings

Psalm 58

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
 ²Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.
 ³The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
 ⁴Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;
 ⁵Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.
 ⁶Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.
 ⁷Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.
 ⁸As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
 ⁹Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.
 ¹⁰The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
 ¹¹So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

BEYOND THE SURFACE

The 57^th Psalm reveals David’s heart trouble.  Verse 7 discusses that it’s fixed—but if it wasn’t broken in the first place, it didn’t need repair.

The first 6 verses of the chapter demonstrate the calamity he finds himself in—midst a group of violent people that want his hide, and they’ve set a trap to acquire it.  What’s causing you “heartburn”?

Like the psalmist, you will find relief through God, and do so by trusting Him, calling out to Him, and observing how He reaches down to extricate you out of your situation. Yes, that produces peace— the kind that spurs on the psalm’s author to praise God all the more.  When you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing you are at peace, and it’s fair to say that when you’re the recipient of His deliverance you give Him glory in it.  But there’s even more peace here than meets the eye.

Since the onslaught of the Messianic age, God’s mercy is no longer contingent on us, and meditating on that should bring the greatest peace of all.  As it is said (from I John 4:19, KJV)—“ We love him, because he first loved us.”  The emphasis should be on first.  An idiot could love someone that’s laid His life down for theirs, but for Someone to have laid down His life for us the way we were (before we were made perfect in God’s sight) is unfathomable. 

Thank you Lord for that amazing peace.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 57

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
 ²I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.
 ³He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
 ⁴My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
 ⁵Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.
 ⁶They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.
 ⁷My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.
 ⁸Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.
 ⁹I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.
 ¹⁰For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
 ¹¹Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.

FEARS, TEARS, AND PEERS

There is a tendency in today’s culture to see televangelists and the like living “perfect” on-screen lives, and when yours doesn’t mirror “theirs”, you’re told you lack the faith that brought you into a personal relationship with the Lord to begin with.  Shame on you?  No, shame on them.

The truth is that David (“A man after God’s own heart”) feared, and that is borne out in Psalm 56, verse 3 (“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee--KJV.”). 

Fear does have some value—it can prevent you from doing foolish things you might otherwise do if you weren’t afraid.  An important lesson:  The laws of sowing and reaping are not canceled just because you’re feeling fearless.

And then there are tears.

The psalmist notes that God keeps track of them.  I’ve always thought how interesting it is that the “very hairs” of our head are numbered—and our tears are known—so therefore, God must know how desperately aging men cry over their ever-increasing baldness (I happen to think it’s distinctive—just ask Jean Luc Picard, Yul Brynner, or my wife—concerning me).  At this moment, at least ONE of you reading this knows you resemble the tears verse—and we’re not mentioning any names, LJ.

Actually, anyone I’ve ever known that’s had a “good cry” (a contradiction in terms for some), winds up more peaceful than before they had it.  My late wife was a great example of this.

There were times at night when we would lay together in bed, and she would start talking about how she despised so and so from the church (and so on).  When she paused for a breath, I would ask if she was done.  “Yes,” she would say, reluctantly.

Then I would hand her a box of Kleenex and say, “Go ahead—now pray for them".  On a good night she could go as long as 12 seconds before bursting into tears—and afterward she’d sleep like the proverbial baby.

And who of us don’t have peers that at one time or another seem as though they’ve signed-up to work for the other side?

Typically when they do this, it’s because they want to feel better about themselves, and rather than examine the man in the mirror, they slander and belittle without cause.

God doesn’t like this, because He wants His people to feel good about Him, and is less concerned with how good they feel about themselves.  God is too busy being God than to be educated about how to be Himself by watching Oprah.

A right relationship with Him brings peace midst your anguish, turmoil, and acquaintances.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 56

New King James Version (NKJV)

To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Silent Dove in Distant Lands.”^[a] A Michtam of David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.

 ¹ Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up;
         Fighting all day he oppresses me.
 ² My enemies would hound me all day,
         For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.
      
 ³ Whenever I am afraid,
         I will trust in You.
 ⁴ In God (I will praise His word),
         In God I have put my trust;
         I will not fear.
         What can flesh do to me?
      
 ⁵ All day they twist my words;
         All their thoughts are against me for evil.
 ⁶ They gather together,
         They hide, they mark my steps,
         When they lie in wait for my life.
 ⁷ Shall they escape by iniquity?
         In anger cast down the peoples, O God!
      
 ⁸ You number my wanderings;
         Put my tears into Your bottle;
         Are they not in Your book?
 ⁹ When I cry out to You,
         Then my enemies will turn back;
         This I know, because God is for me.
 ¹⁰ In God (I will praise His word),
         In the LORD (I will praise His word),
 ¹¹ In God I have put my trust;
         I will not be afraid.
         What can man do to me?
      
 ¹² Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God;
         I will render praises to You,
 ¹³ For You have delivered my soul from death.
         Have You not kept my feet from falling,
         That I may walk before God
         In the light of the living?

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 56:1 Hebrew Jonath Elem Rechokim

YOU MAY NOT KNOW JACK ABOUT BEANS, BUT YOU MAY KNOW ABOUT STALK

Have you ever wanted to run away?  I mean really wanted to, as an adult.  I did, when I was being stalked.

I literally did run away—about five miles, for a short time—and I kept in touch with my wife for the duration, while I simultaneously entertained the thought of doing something on a more permanent basis (I’m not talking about suicide, I’m speaking of actually leaving my family—like Jonah’s willingness to be cast into the sea so that those around him might be spared).  I could readily relate to David when he penned that he wished he had dove wings—then he would fly away and be at rest.  Then he would wander away and remain in the wilderness (Psalm 55:6-7). 

Though often intelligent, stalkers are highly irrational people, and their irrationality is a highly communicable disease that finds its prey long before the stalker him or herself does.

Have you ever been to a foreign land where you didn’t know the language?  It can be incredibly frustrating and not conducive to getting much accomplished.  This is the kind of confusion the psalmist is asking God to visit his enemies with—the kind where nothing is accomplished and things are torn down.  Such confusion was seen at the tower of Babel.

When God observed what was (and wasn’t) happening, He determined to mix up the languages of the people.  The more we rely on others or ourselves, the less we rely on God, and His breaking up the party wasn’t  because He was a killjoy, but because man needs God more than he realizes, and without Him, gets into more trouble than either of them would want.

It’s trusting in the Lord’s knowing better than you about anything, and  knowledge about the reality that is His omnipresence, and His omnipotence, that gives you the greatest peace possible, midst the most trying of circumstances.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 55

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.
 ²Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;
 ³Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.
 ⁴My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
 ⁵Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.
 ⁶And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.
 ⁷Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah.
 ⁸I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.
 ⁹Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
 ¹⁰Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it.
 ¹¹Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets.
 ¹²For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:
 ¹³But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.
 ¹⁴We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.
 ¹⁵Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.
 ¹⁶As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
 ¹⁷Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
 ¹⁸He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.
 ¹⁹God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
 ²⁰He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant.
 ²¹The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.
 ²²Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
 ²³But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.

A TALE OF THREE TOOS

Greetings readers!

Ok, here it goes:  "I'm TOO tired to do TOO good a job on TOO important a passage."

Trying tomorrow.

Thanks for putting up with me.


b(Les)sings

NO PLACE TO HIDE

Imagine:  You’ve done nothing wrong.  You’re hiding from others that want to do you harm.  You trust others to conceal your whereabouts.  Your secret is safe with them.  It’s safe, that is, until someone spills the beans.

If you’re Anne Frank (The Diary of Anne Frank), it doesn’t turn out too well for you or yours.  If you’re David (Psalm 54), ratted out by the Ziphim tattletales, you see God’s deliverance, while your enemy gets spanked. 

Peace reigns through the rescue, but what about the Anne Frank-type issues that we deal with in our lives—how do we find peace in those?  Three steps:

First, realize that God loves you more than you love yourself. 

Second, He is sovereign and knows better about everything, and consequently may have a different agenda to accomplish than you think He does, and you seeking His wisdom in how to deal with things will help achieve His plan—for Him, and/or you, yourself, and others.

Third, part of that plan may have to do with life beyond this one, but if you don’t have a relationship with Him in this one, you won’t have one in the next, either. 

As the bumper sticker says, “Know Him.  Know peace.  No Him.  No peace.”

b(Les)sings

Psalm 54

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength.
 ²Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
 ³For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah.
 ⁴Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.
 ⁵He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth.
 ⁶I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good.
 ⁷For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies.

ANGRY FOOLS

Have you ever noticed how angry atheists are?  You would think they’d stepped barefoot on a rusty nail or something.  You can scream all you want about the fictitious constitutional mandate of state and church’s separation (and/or what that means)—you can demand to you’re blue in the face that the minority should dictate conditions for the majority—but you can’t convince me that the person that rejects a loving God is swimming in peace.  Of course such people are not alone—many of us used to resemble these remarks.

God noticed this too, with incredulousness that astonished even Him.  How surprised He must be when some of His creation choose to oppress others of His creation in order to feel better about themselves, trying instead to fill their God-given vacuum with God Himself!  Rest assured, your vindication is coming.

When the Word speaks of ,“leading captivity captive” or, “bringing back captivity”, it’s relating the ancient practice of victorious troops parading their now defeated enemy in front of those they were fighting for to begin with.

When you maintain a right relationship with Him, you will experience His peace midst attack, whether you’re in the thick of battle, or one that simply leans back and enjoys the fruit of the soldiers’ labors.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 53

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
 ²God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.
 ³Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
 ⁴Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.
 ⁵There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.
 ⁶Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

SORRY

I'm sorry dear reader.

I wrote my entry out earlier today (September 10, 2011) but am now so tired that my eyes won't stay open long enough to help me find home row!

Will post it--and another entry, tomorrow.

Thanks for your understanding and as always,

b(Les)sings

ALL THE RANT

Have you ever exploded?  I mean, really gone off, so much so that you were shocked that the flurry of words came from your lips?  I have, and a time in particular that I remember occurred back in the summer of 1974.  It’s painful to think about in retrospect, because over time and by nature, I have become—or still am—the kind of person the one that I judged was.

Gary, at 14, was a year younger than me.  We were part of a group of about 16 kids traveling through 16 western states on a six week camping trip.  All said it was a great time and a fantastic learning experience, especially in getting along.

When I read through Psalm 52, I think of Gary and my response to him.  He was a master of sarcasm, and being (at the time) the eternal optimist, I didn’t especially like that—but I could tolerate it—for a while.  Finally, his sharp words and attitudes about the universe that centered around him were just too much for my soul to take.  I yelled explosively at him, and after that he changed for the collective good, but I’m not sure that my rant was all that healthy.

Venting gave me peace, but only for a brief season, and at the peril of the peace of others, I’m sure.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, Gary would lie from time to time to make his point.  It was not his most endearing quality.

The Gary’s of this world—and those that are much worse than them—seem resolved to live in a daily world where deceit is the language of choice, and evil plans abound that they might exalt their own agenda. 

Those that exhibit more self-control—those that are righteous by virtue of a personal relationship with God, will enjoy the peace that comes in seeing their comeuppance.  The best part of that, however, is that it comes concurrent with a strengthening from the Lord of the one that witnesses it.

I’m glad for Gary.  He taught me how to be a better person by causing me to reflect on how I dealt with things—which ultimately caused me to become a person of much greater peace.  I find it ironic that I learnt a lot from somebody that thought he was teaching me a lesson—that was merely designed to exalt himself.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 52

New King James Version (NKJV)

To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation^[a] of David when Doeg the Edomite went and told Saul, and said to him, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.”

 ¹ Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?
         The goodness of God endures continually.
 ² Your tongue devises destruction,
         Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
 ³ You love evil more than good,
         Lying rather than speaking righteousness.  Selah
 ⁴ You love all devouring words,
         You deceitful tongue.
       
 ⁵ God shall likewise destroy you forever;
         He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place,
         And uproot you from the land of the living.  Selah
 ⁶ The righteous also shall see and fear,
         And shall laugh at him, saying,
 ⁷ “Here is the man who did not make God his strength,
         But trusted in the abundance of his riches,
         And strengthened himself in his wickedness.”
       
 ⁸ But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
         I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
 ⁹ I will praise You forever,
         Because You have done it;
         And in the presence of Your saints
         I will wait on Your name, for it is good.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 52:1 Hebrew Maschil

A CASE OF THE RUNS

No, I’m not talking about Montezuma’s Revenge, the Hershey Squirts, or any such thing—I’m talking about our choice to either run to God or from Him.

In asking for forgiveness and cleansing, confessing his guilt, and ultimately praying for God to restore him and his soul, David is doing everything he knows to do in Psalm 51 to achieve the peace that he once had and now lacks, due to his adultery and murder involvement.

It’s perfectly natural—part of our Adamic nature—to want to run from one in authority instead of to such a person.  It’s built-in to our personalities from birth.  If you don’t believe that, watch the next time you catch your young child or grandchild in the act of having done something wrong and confront them about it.  They’ll look down, deny, and then walk or run away.  The more mature path—the one that generates peace—is to run to the other, and to do so with contriteness of heart—knowing that the other knows as well as you do that humans are a fallen group, and that we only walk on water when it’s frozen.

When you goof up, admit it to another (James 5:16--Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much—KJV).

Like David, ask God to restore you—to cast your sin into the sea of forgetfulness—and if you don’t go into its waters yourself, make that an opportunity to better yourself for the future, that you don’t repeat the indiscretion you once did—the one that you remember, and He doesn’t.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 51

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
 ²Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
 ³For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
 ⁴Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
 ⁵Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
 ⁶Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
 ⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
 ⁸Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
 ⁹Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
 ¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
 ¹¹Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
 ¹²Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
 ¹³Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
 ¹⁴Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
 ¹⁵O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
 ¹⁶For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
 ¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
 ¹⁸Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
 ¹⁹Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

HE'LL ANSWER THE CALL

Time zones are not a problem for God—He invented them, and you can rest assured that nothing catches Him by surprise—nor will anything catch you that way when you have an ear for His heartbeat, for He freely gives wisdom to those in need of it.

Wise or not, those of you fifty or older will undoubtedly remember Flip Wilson and the 60’s television show “Laugh In”.  Among his numerous characters of renown, the comedian had one in particular whose mantra he continuously repeated:  “Here comes the judge, here comes the judge.”

Why do we even say that (more or less) in reality?  Because we are giving people warning that a person worthy of our respect will soon be in our midst, and we need to be sure we’re not doing something that would displease him, lest we be found in contempt of court.  It’s no different with Deity.

My wife likes the judge shows and I tolerate them, though I will unabashedly say that The Honorable Jeanine Pirro is my favorite.  What I especially don’t like about these shows is the disrespect that the litigants show toward the adjudicator.  I understand that much of it is probably staged (another peeve of mine), yet at the same time, it reflects the inward nature of those ill at ease and, unfortunately, helps to perpetuate that attitude towards any number of people in authority over us—especially divinity.

The first 14 verses of Asaph’s 50^th Psalm address these issues—God’s sovereignty over time and our need to treat spiritual royalty with respect, lest they reward us accordingly—but the 15^th verse in particular speaks to His answering the prayers of those that call upon Him, knowing in advance that He will be glorified in the result.

One such occurrence happened years ago when I sold lawn-care services for TruGreen-ChemLawn.  Our sales office was told at the beginning of that Thursday how if we met our (ludicrous) sales goal for the day, we could have a three day weekend with pay.  The grumbling started almost immediately, and I sharply rebuked a non-believing friend of mine.

“We will get this done in the authority of Jesus and to the glory of God.”  He just smiled and said, “Yeah, right.  It ain’t going to happen.”

As we entered the last hour the running total was looking very good in general, but far from where it needed to be for the desired goal to be met.  It seemed as though the cheese set before us by the corporate trappers would have its desired effect:  Make them work their heads off, raise revenue, while keeping costs down and even get more revenue in the next couple of days.  In that last hour, I had three sales—all respectable.  I took them over to the boss, who called the people back as part of protocol to make sure we weren’t selling to a box of rocks, or deceiving the customers. 

“It’s going to kick,” my “friend” said.

He was right.  He was also right when he said that about the next sale I got.  I was livid.  I was not going to see Satan snatch a victory away from the hands of my God.  While I was about to dial the phone, at 8:55 p.m., our fearless leader spoke.

“You guys really did amaziningly well, and you all deserve a lot of credit.  We only missed our goal by $600.”

With that, I breathed up a really fast prayer and flipped open my computer printout—and there it was—a guy with a multiple acre property.  I called.  He answered—he bought—one application—for $605!  I interrupted my boss with a yell and shot a glaring look over to my buddy, explaining what just happened.  The supervisor took my sale in his quivering hands and began to call the guy back.

“It’s going to kick,” Jimmy said.

“It is not, in the authority of Jesus,” I exclaimed.

All fifteen of us waited on pins and needles.  I could barely contain myself when I heard those words that told all of us the sale had gone through.  The second the phone went down, the screams went up, and I did something I never would have ever done otherwise.  I grabbed JP by both collars of his leather jacket and shook him repeatedly, telling him, “Didn’t I tell you—Didn’t I tell you?”  “Yes,” he smiled, “You sure did.  Praise God.”  Then I ceremoniously and symbolically danced on Satan’s head—something a fellow elder that I worked with understood. 

As I drove home moments later, well after dark, I was astounded to see that my face was literally glowing in the dark.  I knew that I had been in the presence of God.  I had called upon Him in my day of trouble—He delivered me—and I glorified Him in it.  As much peace as that gave me—and as much peace as such a plan will give you—when you determine to not work that way, you get the resulting torment instead.

The psalm goes on to talk about hypocrites and how God deals with them—I’ll give you a hint—it’s not pretty.

I remember when I attended Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL, and the Law School had just begun.  Shortly thereafter, its Dean was arrested for shoplifting a ballpoint pen from the student bookstore—that was hypocrisy, and deservedly, he lost his job.

Psalm 50 concludes by letting the reader know that although God may be silent for a time, it’s only for a time, and His lack of volume is not to be interpreted as His condoning your behavior.  It’s been said, ‘Vengeance is a dish best served cold.’  You’ll never know how or when, but you’ll know why.  Don’t risk it—do verse 15—and enjoy an abundance of peace and victory instead.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 50

New King James Version (NKJV)

A Psalm of Asaph.

 ¹ The Mighty One, God the LORD,
         Has spoken and called the earth
         From the rising of the sun to its going down.
 ² Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
         God will shine forth.
 ³ Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent;
         A fire shall devour before Him,
         And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.
      
 ⁴ He shall call to the heavens from above,
         And to the earth, that He may judge His people:
 ⁵ “Gather My saints together to Me,
         Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
 ⁶ Let the heavens declare His righteousness,
         For God Himself is Judge.  Selah
      
 ⁷ “Hear, O My people, and I will speak,
         O Israel, and I will testify against you;
         I am God, your God!
 ⁸ I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices
         Or your burnt offerings,
         Which are continually before Me.
 ⁹ I will not take a bull from your house,
         Nor goats out of your folds.
 ¹⁰ For every beast of the forest is Mine,
         And the cattle on a thousand hills.
 ¹¹ I know all the birds of the mountains,
         And the wild beasts of the field are Mine.
      
 ¹² “If I were hungry, I would not tell you;
         For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.
 ¹³ Will I eat the flesh of bulls,
         Or drink the blood of goats?
 ¹⁴ Offer to God thanksgiving,
         And pay your vows to the Most High.
 ¹⁵ Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
         I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
      
 ¹⁶ But to the wicked God says:
         “What right have you to declare My statutes,
         Or take My covenant in your mouth,
 ¹⁷ Seeing you hate instruction
         And cast My words behind you?
 ¹⁸ When you saw a thief, you consented^[a] with him,
         And have been a partaker with adulterers.
 ¹⁹ You give your mouth to evil,
         And your tongue frames deceit.
 ²⁰ You sit and speak against your brother;
         You slander your own mother’s son.
 ²¹ These things you have done, and I kept silent;
         You thought that I was altogether like you;
         But I will rebuke you,
         And set them in order before your eyes.
      
 ²² “Now consider this, you who forget God,
         Lest I tear you in pieces,
         And there be none to deliver:
 ²³ Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;
         And to him who orders his conduct aright
         I will show the salvation of God.”

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 50:18 Septuagint, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read ran.

WORK IN PROGRESS

Of course, that's what we all are, but specifically, it describes my next two blogs--which I shall post on September 8, 2011.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

b(Les)sings

MISSING THE BOAT

In Black Boy by Richard Wright, the author quotes a street-wise older Negro that recites,  “All these White folks dress so fine, their _ _ _ holes smell just like mine.”  Translation:  We’re all in the same boat, no matter what our station in life, needing to listen to the Captain’s instructions.

      Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “I never saw a hearse pulling a U-haul.” Save for rapture, there is a 100% chance of death for everybody.  Until that time comes (“…it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment—Heb. 9:27—KJV).

The have-nots may periodically find themselves grumbling to one degree or another about how the “other half” is living.  The truth is that neither half is living until they leave earth!  Remember how in Matthew 18 (and Mark 9), Jesus told us this: 

Matt. 18: [8] Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
[9] And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.”—KJV.

If you are already conscious enough to know that you have a hand or foot or eye, much less how to use any necessary implement  to do the deed, then you are already (what most would call) living.  And if it’s better to “enter life” while seeing the “cut off “ parts being cast into hell, then (eternal) life is hell’s opposite.

The truth of the matter is that you can’t miss the loss of something you’ve never had to begin with.  If you don’t have health insurance or a 401K, you won’t know the grief of losing one.  You can imagine—you can empathize—but you can’t know, and so it goes with the peace of God midst the trials of man—or the joys that others will afford you—if you let them.

When my first wife was alive, we taught a Sunday School class of about 25 mentally handicapped adults (although I think the truly handicapped were the “normal” folk that refused to interact with them, concerned that some unrecognized fear of the encounter would bring dreadful evil to fruition).  We did this for a dozen years or so, and they were absolutely delightful.  The interesting thing is that when one would die, I would find out how old they actually were.  The lack of worldly cares left them wrinkleless, and those that were afraid to interact with them wound up missing some of the greatest enhancement their worldly lives could have possibly known.  These “normal” ones could have been great sailors—but they wound up missing the boat.

When you heed the voice of the Captain, your voyage is a peaceful one—even midst the rough seas—because you know that true liberty will begin in earnest, when you make it to that final Port of Call--just don't miss the boat!

b(Les)sings

Psalm 49

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:
 ²Both low and high, rich and poor, together.
 ³My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
 ⁴I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.
 ⁵Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?
 ⁶They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
 ⁷None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:
 ⁸(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)
 ⁹That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.
 ¹⁰For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.
 ¹¹Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.
 ¹²Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.
 ¹³This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.
 ¹⁴Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.
 ¹⁵But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.
 ¹⁶Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
 ¹⁷For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.
 ¹⁸Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.
 ¹⁹He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.
 ²⁰Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.

TAGS:  BLACK BOY, RICHARD WRIGHT, NEGRO, U HAUL, CUT OFF, 401K, SUNDAY SCHOOL, MENTALLY HANDICAPPED, WRINKLELESS, PORT OF CALL, LIBERTY, CAPTAIN

A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD

It has been said (usually by men) that, “A man’s home is his castle,” or, “a man is king of his own castle.”  To the extent that this may be true, such kingship does not come without the demand of reverence.

Zion (or Jerusalem) on the other hand, is the city that is the castle for the Lord God—so says the writer of Psalm 48.  God is not man that He needs to demand loyalty, and man is not God that he is able to command it.

For centuries, the best place for battle has been (and continues to be) at the uppermost elevations.  Not only will that allow gravity to assist your weaponry, but it will allow you to see enemy works in progress. 

Psalm 48's author explains how those that would even think to attack God are foolish at best, and subject to great pain, shakiness, and humiliating defeat—causing the wisest of would-be attackers to flee as fast as possible.

When I was about 12 years old, I was on a camping trip along with a dozen or so of my peers, and a counselor that had recently come back from serving in reconnaissance as a Green Beret in Viet Nam.  We were in Michigan, and at least at the time, if you were trespassing on another’s property they could shoot at you.  Well, we were—and they did.  We collectively kissed the ground with greater speed than that of the bullet that flew over our heads.  The leader told me (the oldest of the group) to wait for his signal, and when he gave it, we were to run back to the top of a nearby hill, where we had set-up camp.  Soon afterward we heard a scream, followed by his signal.  We ran.  When he met us shortly thereafter, the counselor explained how he had figured where the shooter was, got up behind him, put a bowie knife to his throat, and told him (in so many words) that he’d be headless if he didn’t drop his gun.  The gun was dropped.

Later that night, in addition to worrying about whether the migrant worker land owners would come back to get us, we were concerned about possibly having to fend off one or more coyotes that howled in the dark distance.  Finally, when we were all just nodding off to sleep (except Jim), a bunch of people stormed up the hill and started pulling people out of their sleeping bags.  I’m guessing it took the camp staffer about 1 ½ seconds to get to the top of the hill and throw the first guy down, though not before first breaking his arm for good measure.  That’s when we found out that it was a “midnight raid” from the base camp group.  I have always had nothing but the utmost of respect and appreciation for our men and women in uniform, and those experiences in no way tarnished my thoughts about them—quite the opposite in fact.

As I read Psalm 48, I thought back to how peacefully I slept the remainder of that night, knowing there was a “king” of our “kingdom” that was fiercely capable of protecting it and us—a man who was obviously willing to lay down his life to do so.  I’m glad to say I know the King of Psalm 48 too—the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords—who did lay down His life for us nearly two millennia ago—a King that allows the greatest of peace midst the most trying of circumstances—because He indeed is the King of His castle.  Yes, a mighty fortress is our God.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 48

New King James Version (NKJV)

A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

 ¹ Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised
         In the city of our God,
         In His holy mountain.
 ² Beautiful in elevation,
         The joy of the whole earth,
         Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north,
         The city of the great King.
 ³ God is in her palaces;
         He is known as her refuge.
   
 ⁴ For behold, the kings assembled,
         They passed by together.
 ⁵ They saw it, and so they marveled;
         They were troubled, they hastened away.
 ⁶ Fear took hold of them there,
         And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs,
 ⁷ As when You break the ships of Tarshish
         With an east wind.
   
 ⁸ As we have heard,
         So we have seen
         In the city of the LORD of hosts,
         In the city of our God:
         God will establish it forever.  Selah
   
 ⁹ We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness,
         In the midst of Your temple.
 ¹⁰ According to Your name, O God,
         So is Your praise to the ends of the earth;